Tag: Alyssa Day

I was pretty sure that my last book unhaul was my last. Just like I thought the one before that was the last. And so forth. But I am almost positive that this last one is the final one. Maybe. Sigh.

Anyways, I was ruthless once again and managed to pull almost 100 books from my little collection – and in doing so, I even managed to drop Mount TBR to below 40 books. Beauty!

There have been several authors I haven’t picked up a book from in years. Lara Adrian, Christina Dodd, and Jacquelyn Frank fall into that category, so I finally managed to let them go. A few other authors have series that seem to have petered out, like Alyssa Day and her Warriors of Poseidon and Larissa Ione and the Demonica books…so they got the heave, too. Add in a few more young adult titles, and things are looking good.

I might’ve cheated a bit, though. Since I have decided relatively recently that e-books aren’t exactly the work of the devil, I was all bold and stuff and got rid of a few physical books with the intention of picking them up again for my Kindle. People like Elizabeth Naughton, Elizabeth Hunter, Jessica Sims and even Ilona Andrews‘ Innkeeper Chronicles will now be picked up only in e-format. And the best part? I don’t list the books on my Kindle to be official TBR titles, so I don’t feel like such an epic failure with all the books I haven’t read.

Have you done any big clean outs lately? What old favorite authors could you purge from your collection, or which ones are on the verge?

Sigh. Really? Not that it matters now, but man July is looking like a screwed up month, which can be seen just by looking at the books I put in the poll for book of the month. I mentioned a couple of posts ago that C.L. Wilson‘s The Sea King got a very last minute push back to as as-yet unknown date. Well, Rachel Caine‘s Weather Warden reboot Red Hot Rain was also supposed to be out on July 1st, but that date has come and gone with no sign of the book. Aaand, within the last couple of days, Alyssa Day‘s next Tiger’s Eye Mystery, Evil Eye, seems to have been delayed, too. Well, itunes still lists it for July 5th, but Barnes and Noble has a new release date of September 1st. Ugh.

So, things are really mixed up this month. I can usually catch changes, but the last minute ones drive me nuts. Especially when they occur within a few days of the original release date. I do a double-check of all release dates about every two weeks, and a specific check before I list them in the book of the month polls. And still the buggers slip by.

Basically, July was a crappy month to start with, and the changes made it worse. Actually, I don’t remember a poorer new-release month in recent memory. I won’t be picking up any new releases at all, but on the plus side, I might get to tackle a few more off of my TBR. Always an upside.

On a similar note, I am going to stop listing which books are e-book releases, mostly because that can change between countries. For example, Amazon.ca will show a book as an e-release only, but Amazon.com will show both Kindle and paperback versions. To stop the confusion, I am just going to remove it all together. Hope that doesn’t confuse anyone.

Ok, some months are awesome with too many books to choose from. Some months are…not. This one, at least for me, is a not. What with the last-minute change in release day for one book, the lack of purchase links at Amazon for a couple of others, and a general lack of “wow” factor, this isn’t my favorite month.

Anyways, you have voted, and July’s book of the month is Illusion Town by Jayne Castle. Is anyone else completely surprised by this? I am. Nothing against the book at all, but it seemed to come out of nowhere. My choice was Alyssa Day‘s Evil Eye (which isn’t even listed on Goodreads yet. Oy), but I figured playing the odds that the winner would be Elizabeth Hunter‘s The Staff and the Blade. Show what I know.

Synopsis…

A new adventure begins on Harmony…

With its opulent casinos and hotels, the desert city of Illusion Town is totally unique—and will take you on a thrill ride you’ll never forget.

Hannah West isn’t the first woman to wake up in Illusion Town married to a man she barely knows, but she has no memory of the ceremony at all. For that matter, neither does Elias Coppersmith, her new husband. All either can remember is that they were on the run…

With Hannah’s dubious background and shaky para-psych profile, she could have done much worse. The cooly competent mining heir arouses her curiosity—as well as other parts of her mind and body. And even her dust bunny likes him.

But a honeymoon spent retracing their footsteps leads Hannah and Elias into the twisting underground catacombs, where secrets from both their pasts will come to light—and where the energy of their clashing auras will grow hot enough to burn…

I think I have asked this one before, but how many Jayne Castle (and other pseudonyms) fans are out there? I do know that there are about 11 million books published under her several names, so there must be something for everyone. If you were new to this author, which series would you most recommend?

It seems like we get a really good release month (like June), then a…less that jam-packed one, like July. It was tricky to find 10 releases that I thought could be in the running for book of the month, to be honest, and if none of these grab you, you can just select “Other” and leave your choice in the comments section. A complete list of July’s releases can be found HERE.

I have to go with Evil Eye from Alyssa Day. I am surprised by just how much I am loving this paranormal-mystery series, even though it is very light on the romance as yet. They are quick, fun reads, and I seem to enjoy each one more than the last. And let’s be honest – Jack really does deserve his own HEA after getting basically squat in the Warriors of Poseidon series, right?

I was going to do a reading wrap up post, but then I thought I should probably do a post where we could all discuss The Beast by J.R. Ward. Then in a bold move, I figured I would just combine the two. Problem solved.

So, I finished up a re-read of Anne Bishop‘s Marked in Flesh. I really liked it, but I can honestly say that there were a few parts where I started to get mixed up a bit (mostly with locational things, like who was in which town). Other than that, it was a great story with a lot going on. It did seem like the end of a story-arc, but it would be so, so easy to see the series continue on indefinitely. And I am still the first in line for a Vlad-centric book.

And then it was on to Private Eye from Alyssa Day, which is the second book in her Tiger’s Eye Mystery series. I loved me some Jack in the Warriors of Poseidon series, and I was more than a little disappointed when his book (Shifter in Atlantis) was scrapped. I figured he got a bit of a raw deal, actually. But even though I liked Jack and wanted him to have his own story, I almost didn’t bother with this little e-format series. So glad I did, though. Both of the books so far have been a lot of fun – love the quirky small town setting, the mystery, and while I knew I liked Jack I also enjoy the other star of the show, Tess. Great series so far, with the third book supposedly heading our way this summer. I would definitely recommend giving this quick, fun series a try.

Now, on to The Beast. I am going to go spoiler free here, but feel free to post spoilers in the comments section, should you so choose. Anyhow. I have enjoyed all of the Black Dagger Brotherhood books, I have to admit upfront, but at some point the way I read them changed. I had to almost steel myself to read one, and sometimes it would take me months to finally pick one up off of my TBR pile since I had to be in the right mood. It wasn’t that I didn’t like them, it was just that they became so…dense, maybe? There were so many plotlines and storyarcs and side characters that it just got overwhelming. I like some depth to a book, don’t get me wrong, but when you have to start writing down what is going on so you don’t lose track, then things are complicated. And most of the time, the central couple in the book played such a small role you didn’t really know whose story was being told. Not ideal, either.

Even with the complicated and involved stories, though, I stayed a big fan of the world. That never changed, no matter how much work I had to put in to get through the book. But I wasn’t a huge fan when it was announced that most of the Brothers would get a second book – not at all. I figure they got their turn, and it was time for others to get their stories told. And a second book usually means drama, and I am a firm believer in a happily ever after for my couples, not an angsty problem that threatens to tear a them apart. But so far, the sequels have been a great idea. The King was good…but The Beast was really, really good.

For me, anyways, The Beast felt more old-school BDB. There is still a lot going on, but this time around I never lost focus that it was a Rhage and Mary book. Rhage has always been a favorite of mine, and in The Beast I was reminded of why. He comes off as almost dorky, which is great, and his babbling made me laugh more than once. He is a total scene-stealer. Assail plays a good sized role, and I liked all of his page time, too. I can see a redo for V in the near future, since he is having a bit of a hard time on a few different fronts. That will be interesting, to say the least.

My only gripe is Layla. I. Don’t. Like. Her. AT ALL. I can’t even quite tell you why she irritates me, but every time she is on the page I find myself gritting my teeth. Xcor? I’m in. Xcor and Layla? Crap, not at all. Unfortunately for me, she is pretty much irredeemable at this point since my loathing runs deep, so it will be interesting to see how I handle reading her story, which is up next. So, all in all, I really liked The Beast – I just wish the Beast would’ve taken Layla out. Permanently. That isn’t too much to ask, right?

What was your take on The Beast? Are you liking the “second book” idea, or do you wish that J.R. was moving on to new characters (like Assail. And Murdher)? What else did you check out this week?

My pick for this week is something a little different for me. The second book of Alyssa Day‘s e-format Tiger’s Eye Mystery series, Private Eye, is one I have been looking forward to since I reluctantly decided to pick up the first book. I loved Jack in the Warriors of Poseidon series, but I wasn’t so sure about reading what sounded like a cozy mystery series. Turns out I really liked it, and I am so glad to see Jack maybe get a chance at his own HEA (since he so got short-changed in the Warriors series).

Synopsis…

When Tess Callahan, new owner of Dead End Pawn, meets her grandmother the banshee, life is about to get complicated. When Tess’s partner Jack Shepherd, tiger shapeshifter and P.I., gets involved to help them investigate a banshee-kidnapping spree, life is about to get deadly. Because nothing is ever simple in Dead End, Florida, and sometimes it takes a tiger’s eye to see the truth.

What is your pick of the week? Are you checking this one out, or are you looking forward to something else?

Well, I did my whining about Feverborn in the previous post, so I won’t bore you again with my sadness on the latest Fever book. Moving on, the rest of the week wasn’t that bad. I caught up on the two Shifters Unbound books from Jennifer Ashley that I was behind. Shifter Mates was a compilation of two previously released e-novellas, neither of which I had read, and I liked both of them. I also picked up Mate Bond, but I wasn’t as lucky with that one. It wasn’t a story problem, it was just a personal preference. I am not fond of books where the main characters are already a couple when the book starts. In this case, Bowman and Kenzie had already been mated for 15 years and have a son, so it isn’t my favorite. I guess I like to see the couple from the start, not get dropped into their story when it is already going, but that is just me.

For something a little different, I bought an e-book. Whee! It has been quite a while since we have seen anything new from Alyssa Day, but she recently started a Warriors of Poseidon spin off/mystery series featuring tiger shifter Jack called Tiger’s Eye Mystery, and I thought I would check the first book out. Dead Eye was a fun, fast little read, and I will be picking up the next one when it comes out. Unfortunately, book two, which is called Private Eye, has been pushed back. It was supposed to be released on February 2nd, but now it is looking like a March or April release.

And for a real treat, I did a re-read of Magic Shifts from Ilona Andrews. This is an absolute favorite series, so a re-read is never a chore. It is funny, though. Some books seem to get better the second time around, or maybe I just read it the first time so fast that I miss a lot of detail, but either way I was very glad to dive back into the Kate Daniels world. Now we just have to start the countdown for the September 27th release of Magic Binds. Sigh. So, so long to wait.

I have a strategy for tackling my TBR pile, which isn’t really that exciting – I am just going through my list and reading in alphabetical order, while tackling the In Death books at the same time. I can proudly say that I have finished all of my “A” authors, which was my goal for the month of January. Beauty. What have you been reading this week? Anything exciting catch your attention?

There is just one new series this week. Well, new-ish, I guess. Alyssa Day has started a spin-off of sorts of her Warriors of Atlantis series that will focus on tiger-shifter Jack. The new series is called Tiger’s Eye Mystery, and the first book is called Dead Eye.

Synopsis…

For Jack Shepherd, tiger shape-shifter and former soldier, life is heading for a dead end. Dead End, Florida, to be exact. When he learns that he inherited a combination pawn shop/private investigation agency from his favorite uncle, Jack’s first job is to solve his uncle’s murder. Because sometimes it takes a tiger’s eye to see the truth.

I liked Jack, and I felt he got a bit short-changed in “his” book (which was actually Alaric’s, but I digress). I do wish that Canada offered a print version, but what can you do? Will you be checking this one out?

This is a bit of a combination of a from the author pages post and a new release updates post. Huh, lazy or what?

Christine Feehan announced a while back that she was starting a new series, and the preorder links have finally gone up. The Shadow Riders is the first book of The Shadows series, and it has a release date of June 28th. The official blurb is out, too…

Whether it’s fast cars or fast women, Stefano Ferraro gets what he wants. When he’s not fodder for the paparazzi, he commands Ferarro family businesses—both legitimate and illegitimate.

While their criminal activity is simply a rumor yet to be proven, no one knows the real truth. The Ferraros are a family of shadow riders capable of manipulating light and dark, an ability Stefano thought ran in his family alone—until now…

With little left to her name, Francesca Cappello has come to Chicago in hopes of a new life. She wasn’t expecting to attract the attention of a man with primal hunger in his eyes, driven to claim her as his to protect and to please. And if he discovers her secret, it could ruin her…

I mentioned a couple of posts back that it was looking like Gena Showalter‘s next Lords of the Underworld, The Darkest Torment, was going to be a hardcover release. That actually turned out to be true. But what I found even a bit more odd is that Jeanine Frost‘s next Night Prince book, Into the Fire, is ALSO listed as a hardcover release according to both the Canadian and UK Amazon sites. Uh, what? The fourth book in a four book series goes hardcover, while the first three were paperback? Does that seem strange to anyone else? Either way, Into the Fire will be out next October 26th.

And it looks like Alyssa Day might be getting back into the swing of things. She is starting a new spin-off series of her Warriors of Poseidon series that will feature Tiger shifter Jack. This one will be a paranormal mystery series called Tiger Eye Mysteries, with the first book, Dead Eye, being released this December 29th.

For the last little while, I have been noticing a slight change in my reading habits – or rather, in who I have been looking forward to reading. As I have bored everyone with for the last few weeks, my total disinterest in Kresley Cole‘s Dark Skye is something that I never, ever would’ve saw coming. Kresley Cole was always, ALWAYS tied for my favorite author, along with Nalini Singh. That was just a given. Now? I still like her work, but I have found myself not as excited as I once was.

Alyssa Day and Lara Adrian are two more that I find myself drifting away from. I was never a rabid fan of their stuff, but it was something that I enjoyed while reading then promptly forgot (with the exception of Lara’s Darker After Midnight, which was a brilliant, game-changing book). I have gotten to the point where I am happy saying goodbye to both the Warriors of Poseidon and the Midnight Breed, so I probably won’t be picking up any more of their books.

But, on the other side, my adoration for Ilona Andrews has only continued to grow, and now I can honestly say that Ilona has supplanted Kresley as tied for my favorite author. Like Nalini, I haven’t yet read anything by them that I didn’t love, and that shows no signs of changing soon. Burn for Me is my most anticipated book for this fall (since I have already read Archangel’s Shadows, that is), and Magic Breaks was one of the best reads of summer.

And a recent development is my obsession with all things Kelley Armstrong. The Cainsville books have me completely hooked, and when I finally took Amber’s recommendation to start the Women of the Otherworld series I was pleasantly surprised. I have even been reading her middle grade Blackwell Pages written with Melissa Marr, and liking that (sort of like Percy Jackson).

How about you? What authors have risen, and which have fallen, in your must-read list? Are any old favorites losing their shine, or is there any new author you can’t get enough of?